where do we begin? I feel so blessed, so grateful to be at the place that I am. sometimes I forgot what an amazing perspective a book can give you, a thousand splendid suns will stay with me for life. its crazy we know what women in Afghanistan have gone through (or like everywhere in the world even) but to read lives of two beautiful resistant ladies like this was actually really heartbreaking.
Mariam, oh Mariam, I love you so dearly. I feel apologetic to all the girls that go through life like Mariam did, but you Mariam were and are a star, your resilience, everything you’ve endured in your life will live with me. you’re the biggest girls girl, the biggest shoulder to people in need, the most selfless person I’ve ever read of. I wish that life was a lot more fair to you, I wish you never destroyed the letter Jalil wrote you, I wish you went to get your things for that uncle Mullah’s house, I wish you were able to see Pinocchio just once in that lifetime. I adore you for taking Laila in when she needed a family the most even though you were always betrayed yourself. I love you for treating her children like your own, I respect you for attempting to run away with her even when y’all didn’t have a solid plan. I wish I could hug you, I wish I could give you a better life, I wish I could get you and nana out of that tiny hut, I wish I could help you see that the world was so much bigger than what jalil showed you. I wish I could tell you that it’s not your mistake that you were born a harami. I wish I could tell you how beautiful you are Mariam. But I love you for letting Laila go, I love you for being so selfless and taking the blame on yourself so that Laila doesn’t have to go down with you. Oh Mariam, you never got to study but you were a smart smart woman. I wish I could apologize for everything that you endured your whole life and I wish I could take care of you in another lifetime. no matter what life threw at you, you were always standing to face it. I wish to be as resilient as you were.
oh Laila Jo. My little princess, my educated queen. I’m so sorry for what happened to babi and mammy, I wish y’all got to run away before that tragedy took place. but a selfish part of me is so glad you were there when Mariam needed you the most. you came into her life when she didn’t have anybody left and you accepted her as a mother. Oh Laila, im sorry you had to live without Tariq for all those years. everything Rasheed did to you, Mariam and Aziza. you are one strong girl and your smartness helped you get through a lot in your life. I love you for not giving up on Mariam, I love you for having her back even when she hated you the most, I love you for sharing chai and leftover halwa with her. I love you for letting Mariam feel the motherhood. I love you for trying to free Mariam and taking her with you to run away. oh Laila you beautiful girl, im so happy you got to reunite with the love of your life. Im so happy you got to live your life with Tariq. Im so happy you’re keeping Mariam alive. Im so happy you went to see her first hut and was able to feel her presence. although life was not fair to you in the beginning, im so happy you got your happily ever after.
this book taught me more than I expected. sometimes things happen in your life that you would not expect even in thousand lifetimes but when life hits you, it hits you hard. and you need to stand tall. you need to keep getting hit and failing and getting up till your last breath. you only get this life once. and you have to keep fighting for that brighter tomorrow. even when you dont see light at the end of the tunnel, you must keep going.